Brush stuffing machines



April 7, 1954 E. SCHNEKENBURGER `3,128,126

BRUSH STUFFING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet;

Filed Sept. 27, 1961 f MU 7 mm Vr r VLPnv 2 T W 'WV if S mw APll 7, 1964E. SCHNEKENBURGER 3,128,126

BRUSH STUFFING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 27, 1961 INVENTOR.,Emf/ Sahne/fenU/ger BY aga/fk April 7, 1964 E. scHNl-:KENBURGER BRUSHsTuFFING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 27, 1961 C im IN V ENTOR.

United States Patent C) 3,123,126 BRUSH STUFFING MACHINES EmilSchneltcnhurger, Totltnau, Black Forest, Germany, assignor to AntonZaiioransliy, Todtuau, lllach Forest, Germany, a family corporation ofGermany Filed Sept. 2.7, 1961, Ser. No. 141,697 1.1 Claims. (Cl. 3mi-7)This invention relates to brush stuing machines. More particularly, itrelates to lan improved mechanism for feeding stulng material to brusheswithout damaging such material.

Great diiliculty exists in conventional brush machines in separating andwithdrawing precise amounts of stul'ling material, such` as wires orbristles, from alternate compartments of a material holding containerwithout disarranging and entangling the bristles. This operation isusually eiTected by alternately closing the lower opening of suchcompartments vand swinging the container with its compartments relativeto the withdrawal position of an oscillating gripper.

A device disposed at the bottom of the machine presses back the stuilingmaterial into the compartment Whenever it is arcuately swung intonon-discharging position. The pressing device, however, tends to squeezethe material together in an irregular manner. Such irregularity isfurther augmented Iby dille-rent ydegrees of friction existing betweenlthe particles ci the stung material per se .and between the materialand .the compartment walls. These uneven 4frictional conditions:inevitably lead to the gripper withdrawing uncontrolled quantities ofbristles which are often in disorderly array. r[The result is poorlystuiied brush stock.

An object of the invention is to create `an impro-ved stuifing machinein which the above referred to ditliculties are overcome by eliminationof swinging containers.

Another object is to construct `an improved machine wherein the workingparts would be simpliiied for reliable operation land economicalproduction of high quality brushes.

An important feature of the invention i-s a new type oi container whichshunts or shifts in a straight line either vertically as shown orhorizontally Ibetween alternate positions on transverse bars. Thisconstruction :allows a predetermined amount or' stung material to beperpendicularly discharged from the separate compartments of thecontainer and maintains the material under uniform pressure at an angleof 90 to the gripper.

A further feature is the parallel straight line displacement ofrespective compartments as a whole relative to each other. An orderly,even positioning of t e stuffing material within the compartments isinduced by this lon-gitudinal movement which results in highlystandardized stuiling operations.

As contemplated by the invention, the end compartment is fixed orintegral with ythe container as it does not have to 'be raised in orderto vallow the gripper to v`freely pass underneath and withdraw stuiingmaterial therefrom. Hence, in containers having just two compartments,only the compartment closest to the Stull-lng tool need be raised out ofdischarging position. When more than two cornpartments are used, all:are longitudinally dispiaceab-le except the one which is furthest awayyfrom the tool. When the container shifts laterally in its reciprocatingmovement to a new withdrawing position, each displaaible com.- pantmentis simultaneously lifted land its discharge end automatically closed.

Each displaceable compartment is closed by suitable means when slid intoinoperative position as it is being lifited,.and is guided during itslongitudinal sliding motion by means of bars 19 and .its ladjoiningcompartment or compartments.

Advantageou-sly, the lifting motion is effected by a pin attached to thedisplaceable compartment which rides in a uniquely shaped late-ralguiding slot mounted on the machine base, 1 l l l Funther features andadvantages of the invention will be yapparent in the following `detaildescription and the accompanying drawings which illust-rate preferredernbodiments ot .the invention, wherein FIGURE 1 is ra iront elevationof a stuiling material container 4shown mounted on a portion of a brushstuffing machine with the first compantrnent in operative position;

VFIGURE 2 isa sectional View loi the container taken on line 2-2 ofFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational View of the stutling machine of FIGURE 1`showing the last compartment in operative position;

FIGURE 4 is la top plan view of the machine taken on line 4 4 of FIGURE3; and

FIGURE 5 is la side elevational View of the stung machine container.

Reierring -uow to the drawings, lan angle iron 1 is fastened to thetable or frame 17 of a combined brush punching and stuffing machine. Ashuttle 3 is slidably mounted in .a dove-tailed guide 2 which isattached to the frame as by angle y1. An intermediary member 4 rigidlyconnects the shuttle to a container box 18, and moves the container toand lfro in the saine `co-axial direction as a combined gripper andbundle divider 11. y'Ille gripper, including picking needles disposed ina groove 32 of guide member 33 has a recess 20 which grasps the stu'ingmaterial 31 at a bundle taking position from separate compartments ofthe container and transports it from such position to a stulling tool21.

The container box illustrated in the drawings has two compartments 22and 23. Compartment 22, the nearest to the stuing tool, is illustrated`als displaced vertically, relative .to the end compartment 23, duringthe transverse movement of container 18.

Each compartment of the vertically mounted container extends between acentrally disposed bridge 5 and an outer sidewall 6. The container isope-n at the top to allow free access |to lling the compartments withorderly .arranged material, such as bunches of bristle and liber, withwhich a brush may be alternately stuffed.

Conipartments 22 `and Z3 each have a rear sheet 7, as shown in FIGURES 2land 4. These sheets, disposed on either side of bridge 5, areindividually fastened to a threaded spindle or set screw S, `see FIGURE5. The position of the rear sheet may be controlled by adjusting a nut 9mounted on each spindle to regulate the depth of each compartment inaccordance with the length of stuiiing material being used therein.

Grooves 27 are provided in bridge 5 and sidewalls 6 for guiding movementof removable slides 1) there-in. Weights 12 of variable degree may beattached to the slides in order to exert a rm downward pressure againstthe top layer of the stuing material. Compression springs 28 located inthe lower portion of sidewalls 6 and bridge 5 carry bolts 29 which areattached to the lower ends thereof. The spring loaded bolts exertpressure on the picking needles 11 'and/or on the needle counterpart ordoctor 13 which in turn exerts pressure on the picking needle-s, seelFIGS. 1, 3 and 5. This pressure on the needles is therefore receiveddirectly from the bolts or indirectly from the doctor.

'Ilhe needle counterpart comprises a raised platform which res-ts uponbut not horizontally movable with the material picking needles. Thecounterpart or doctor is held in proper position by attachment o thesmiling alzarse tool housing 34 as by ya connector bar `35. rl'hisplatform acts :as [an automatic closure `for displaceable compantrncnt2.2 when the container is later-,ally slid oward the tool and away fromthe supply position or recess 2li in the material grasping sectoir. Tlhelower` 'horizontal portion of center rail or bridge 5 clears bristlesfrom the picking mechanism during each change-over movement. When lthefirst compart-ment is in raised position, the platform allows the bundlegrasping needles 11 Ito pass freely beneath ift and service the endcompartment 23.

The vertical or Ilongitudinal displacement of compartment 22 is effectedby a pin 25 rigidly mounted there-on which rides a two-plane, laterallydisposed tangential slot 2d, the upper level of which corresponds to theire-ight of platform or stripper 13. As the container is pushed to ythelett, the pin is guided upward in the cu-rved slot to its higherposition and the compartment, frictionally slid onto the raisedplatform, is simultaneously closed at the bottom'. The slot may belocated in the opstanding side off an angular metal strip i4. Thehorizontal side of the strip is shown fastened to table i7 by means of abolt or `the like, see FIGURE 5.

Since the gripper needle li iunctions by repeated movements of equalrlength, the material taken by it is con-trolled by placing the propercompartment in the supply position. Therefore, while the needles alwaysmove to and fro for the same distance in the bristle taking anddelivering operation, the containers :are shouted from right to llettrelative to the bundle taking position of recess 2t). For example,=FlGURE l shows the container i8 shifted to the right so thatcompartment 23 is pushed beyond the taking sector and FIGURE 3 shows thecontainer shifted to the left .so .that the gripper needle 11 can reachthe end compartment.

The machine drive slides the container hack y:and forth in guide 2 bymeans of exerting a push-pull action in the direction of the `arr-row 26on spindle 16. The spindle is attached to 'a si-de of the container asby an internally threaded lug and retaining nut Sil.

4Lt will be seen that Ithis non-switching means ot remioving stuffingmaterial trom a container by slidlably shunting its compamtments in aoo-axial line relative to the divider il passi-ng directly below,entirely avoids the undesirable squeezing of such material as now existsin conventional stuing machines. This is ytrue yregardless of the numberof compartments in a non-swinging coi tainer.

As stated above, .the invention may be used on containers with more thantwo compartments in which all would be similarly displaced except theend compartment, which is furthest away from the stuffing tool.

As started above, the invention also applies to stuffing machineswherein the supply containers and the stuffing tool may be arrangedhorizont-ally instead of ventically. in both cases, guidance of therelative longitudinal displacement ot the compartments in the containerbox is structurally feasible by means of overlapping, transverselydisposed cross bars 19.

The for-ms of the invention here described and illustrated are presentedmerely as exampies of how the invention may be embodied land applied.Other forms, embodiments and applications of the: invention, comingwithin the pooper scope ofthe appended claim-s, will, of course suggestthemselves to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In la brush stuliing machine having a frame, a stuing tool, =a guidemeans, a material gripping means and a transport means associated withsaid gripping means for movi-ng stuing material along said guide meansfrom a supply position to said tool, a container adapted to supply saidmaterial in uniformly contr-rolled amounts to said gripping means, saidcontainer comprising -a fixed compartment and at least one movablecompartment for receiving an evenly arranged supply of said materialtherein, movable means for sliding said container to and iro ffl.

above said guide means in a yco-axisl path therervith to alternatelybring said fixed and movable compartments into [and out of engagementwith said gripping means, each said department being disposedperpendicular to said guide means to unobstructively discharge saidmaterial at la angle yto said gripping means in said uniformlycontrol-led amounts.

2. 'In la brush stumng machine having a fname, a stufn g tool, materialgripping means and transport means associated `wit-h said Vgrippingmeans for movi-ng a stutiing material from a supp-ly position to saidtool, a container disposed perpendicular to said gripping and transportmeans, said container provided with at least a rst and secondcompaptment for reception of said material therein, slideable meansdisposed on said frame 'for guiding` said container in la .stsaight lineshunting parallel tol the line oi movement of said transport means,means disposed on said container :for shunting said container inopposite directions to alternately bring said first and secondcompartment into engagement with said gripping means at said supplyposition, said first compartment being disposed alongside said secondcompartment and longitudinally displacealble relative thereto when the'former is withdrawn from said supply position, said straight lineshunting of said container maintaining both of said compartments at 'a90 ,angle relative to said gripping Aand transport means.

3. A container according to claim 2 including displaceable means `forsai-d tiret compartment, said displaccabie means comprising a memberrigidly xed to said frame 'having a tangential slot disposed therein andla pin lixedly secured lto tirs-t compantmerit, said pin being slidablymounted in said slot for lateral movement therein relative to saidlongitudinal displacement.

4. A container according to claim 2 wherein transversely overlappingbars are disposed at the outer end ot said container, said bars forminga guide for longitudinal displacement ot said rst compartment.

5. A container according to claim 2 wherein said rst compartment isprovided with a rear panel, a threaded spindle is attached to said paneland adjustable means is disposed on said spindle to regulate thelongitudinal displacement ot said irst compartment to accommodatevarious lengths of stuiling material when placed therein.

6. A container according to claim 2 wherein a stripper is mounted uponsaid frame, said stripper automatically closing the nlled end ot saidrst compartment relative to said transport means when said rstcompartment is in said withdrawn position.

7. In a brush stuffing machine having a frame, a stuifing tool, materialgripping means and transport means associated with said gripping meansfor moving a stuffing material from a supply position to said tool7 acontainer disposed perpendicular to said gripping and transport means,said container provided with at least a rst and second compartment forreception of said material therein, slidable means disposed on saidtrame for guiding said container in a straight line shunting parallel tothe line of movement of said transport means, means disposed on saidcontainer for shunting said container in opposite directions toalternately bring said rst and second compartment into engagement withsaid gripping means at said supply position, said slidable meansincluding a recessed member iixed to said frame, a shuttle slidablymounted in said member and rigidly attached to said container, saidmember and said shuttle cooperating to slidably support said containerfor operative association with said gripping means, said straight lineshunting of said container maintaining both of said compartments at a 90angle relative to said gripping and transport means.

8. In a brush stutling machine having a frame, a stuffing tool, materialgripping means and transport means associated with said gripping meansfor moving a stutiing material from a supply position to said tool, acontainer disposed perpendicular to said gripping and transport means,said container provided with at least a lirst and second compartment forreception of said material therein, slideable means disposed on saidframe for guiding said container in a straight line shunting parallel tothe line of movement of said transport means, means disposed on saidcontainer for shunting said container in opposite directions toalternately bring said first and second compartment into engagement withsaid gripping means at said supply position, each of said compartmentsbeing provided with a rear panel, an outer longitudinal wall forming aside thereof, a common bridge separating said compartments and an openend for freely loading said material therein, and spring loaded elementsdisposed at the discharge end of said walls and said bridge, each ofsaid elements exerting direct and indirect resilient pressure on saidgripping means, said straight line shunting of said containermaintaining both of said compartments at a 90 angle relative to saidgripping and transport means.

9. A container according to claim 8 wherein each compartment is providedwith a pair of longitudinal grooves 20 disposed in said bridge and insaid Walls and wherein bears upon said stripper to cause the latter toexert said indirect pressure on said gripping means.

11. A container according to claim 8 wherein said bridge is providedwith a lower transverse end, said end adapted to clear excess bristlesfrom said gripping means during each right angled displacement of saidcontainer relative to said gripping means.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,709,625 Carlson May 31, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,028,969 Germany Apr.30, 1958

1. IN A BRUSH STUFFING MACHINE HAVING A FRAME, A STUFFING TOOL, A GUIDEMEANS, A MATERIAL GRIPPING MEANS AND A TRANSPORT MEANS ASSOCIATED WITHSAID GRIPPING MEANS FOR MOVING STUFFING MATERIAL ALONG SAID GUIDE MEANSFROM A SUPPLY POSITION TO SAID TOOL, A CONTAINER ADAPTED TO SUPPLY SAIDMATERIAL IN UNIFORMLY CONTROLLED AMOUNTS TO SAID GRIPPING MEANS, SAIDCONTAINER COMPRISING A FIXED COMPARTMENT AND AT LEAST ONE MOVABLECOMPARTMENT FOR RECEIVING AN EVENLY ARRANGED SUPPLY OF SAID MATERIALTHEREIN, MOVABLE MEANS FOR SLIDING SAID CONTAINER TO AND FRO ABOVE SAIDGUIDE MEANS IN A CO-AXIAL PATH THEREWITH TO ALTERNATELY BRING SAID FIXEDAND MOVABLE COMPARTMENTS INTO AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID GRIPPINGMEANS, EACH SAID DEPARTMENT BEING DISPOSED PERPENDICULAR TO SAID GUIDEMEANS TO UNOBSTRUCTIVELY DISCHARGE SAID MATERIAL AT A 90* ANGLE TO SAIDGRIPPING MEANS IN SAID UNIFORMLY CONTROLLED AMOUNTS.